Balsam Family
Impatiens puberula DC.
Soft pink balsam
Nepali: Bhenda ghans
A small herbaceous plant growing beside the road in thick patches. Leaves are finely hairy with coarse hairs at the leaf margins, and flowers are at the tip of the branch. The flower size is about 2.5cm. The color varies from deep purple to pale blue. The elevation range is from 1900 to 2500m. Flowers are seen from June through September.
Impatiens bicornuta Wall.
Horned Balsam
Nepali:
The flower appears as pinkish-white with a yellow and orange-spotted throat, two small wings appear on the sides, and below like a serpent tongue are two long horns, or sometimes they are fused into one. They are found near and often with I. falcifer at the same elevation around 2400 to 2700.
Impatiens falcifera Hook.f.
Sickle Balsam
Tamang: Raja bu bu
Found near the top of Phulchowki starting at about 2400m and on up to 2700m. It is mostly clustered near the small pond and wetlands on the way to the top. The flowers, two to a raceme, are bright yellow with some flecks of color in the center, but on Phulchowki it is very different from the type with brown speckles on the upper petal. The flowers are about 2 to 2.5 cm long, with a long tail behind that can either curl under or stick out.
Impatiens tricornis
Three-horned Balsam
Nepali - Aureli, Tiuri jhar
This flower is found at the lower elevations - from about 1300m to 3000m. It is a pale yellow color and grows next to rocky outcrops on the roadside. The flowers are about 3 cm long. They are rounded in the middle with a long tube and a sharp down-curling tail. It blooms early in June and continues through to August.
Impatiens kathmanduensis Grey-Wilson
Kathmandu Balsam
Nepali:
This is a recent addition to the Balsams on Phulchowki. It was added in 1989 and closely resembles Impatiens devendrae. This one has a very tightly curled tail, like a pig, and is mostly creamy white with some pink coloration on the hood and some spots. The flower is barrel-shaped with a peak on the hood of the flower and two slightly overlapping petals at the base. The flower is 2.5-3cm long and the elevation is from 1700 - 2500m on the road. The eflora website gives more photos and validation for the species.
Impatiens racemosa DC.
Yellow Long-tailed Balsam
Nepali - Anchirna
A tiny flower by comparison to similar I. scarbida. It is 1cm long and has a similar appearance in color and the front view, but from the side, the long tail is clearly seen. It has very distinct leaves with rounded teeth along the edges and more inflorescences per raceme. I found several plants on rocks facing east at 2700m just below the army camp on the top of Phulchowki. It was blooming end of July-September.
Impatiens tricornis Lindl.
Three Horned Balsam
Nepali: Areli or Tiuri Jhar
Common along the roadside near seepages, this balsam has large yellow flowers with small brown spots inside. The flower is rounded at the top with a long funnel and long slender spur. The lower flower petal is split in the middle. Leaves are long with many teeth. It is found from Kashmir to Bhutan from elevations ranging from 1200 to 3600m.
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